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0 pointscom2kid1mo ago0 comments

Calculus is required for English degrees in other countries. Heck a lot of countries require some amount of calculus just to graduate high school.

Same goes for the basics of statistics. A basic understanding of statistics is a requirement for any college degree in many countries, and for good reasons. Stats comes up all the damn time. From proper A/B testing, to marketing, to understanding public health emergencies, to making informed medical decisions.

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aworks1mo ago

I understand the value of statistics. But calculus? I say this, as someone who took 6 semesters of calculus in college.

com2kidOP1mo ago

6 semesters seems like... a lot? IIRC getting a math undergrad at my Uni didn't require that many classes of calc.

I think calc 1 and 2 are extremely valuable. The concept of rate of change is fundamental to so many things in life, and understanding "area under the curve" is essential to understanding how many ideas are communicated, including lots of graphs in physics, chemistry, and economics.

Beyond that I feel calculus starts getting into specific applications and is less generally applicable to the populace at large.

aworks1mo ago

6 quarters, not 6 semesters!

Decades later, I wish I had more linear algebra.

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aworks1mo ago

I understand the value of statistics. But calculus? I say this, as someone who took 6 semesters of calculus in college.

com2kidOP1mo ago

6 semesters seems like... a lot? IIRC getting a math undergrad at my Uni didn't require that many classes of calc.

Beyond that I feel calculus starts getting into specific applications and is less generally applicable to the populace at large.

aworks1mo ago

6 quarters, not 6 semesters!

Decades later, I wish I had more linear algebra.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse